PMOG Forum

I fully understand that this is intended to be a passive game. I love that I don't have to meet up with my clan at 7:23 next Tuesday to do a raid on some place. I equally enjoy the active parts of PMOG, the powers of associations and the need for building alliances and trading after level 5 to gain access to resources to which you no longer have access. These active elements, indeed the heart of the real game play here, seem to be stifled by the current level requirements.

After a few days of playing here, I feel pretty comfortable with the environment. I understand that things I do impact my associations, and that those associations will grant or restrict access to tools. Only the level at which those associations mean something - level 5, when unfiltered access to the shoppe ends - feels an incredibly long way away! Just to feel a bit of accomplishment, I am "power leveling" to 2 through the use of Yahoo's wonderful random website link. Whee...one click and it's a new domain. Rinse, repeat (or just script).

Then I got to thinking. Why would I bother to try and level up past 2? I mean, I don't want to stay level 1, I want to feel like I am doing something, but why should I WANT to make it to level 5? Given the huge distance away that it is, why would I even want to passively let myself level up to the point where I would have to do some work to still get all the tools? That strikes me as a bit too passive.

What would happen to gameplay if levels 1-5 were condensed into the 3000 DP currently required for level 2? By the time someone hits the current level 2 at 3K DP, they should have a strong enough awareness of the game play, have an association set, be familiar with all of the tools, and even have some acquaintances and allies. So why not let the strategy/social/trading/tool aspect of the game begin at 3K DP (whether it is still level 2, or a reworked level 5)? The benefit to re-working levels 1-5 within the 3K DP is that players gain that sense of accomplishment so they don't go looking for scripts to leave running over night trying to gain enough DP just to get to level 2 and feel like they did something (but not me, oh nooo...I am innocent!). I know I read a forum discussion about this from when level 2 was dropped from 5k to 3k but I can't find it again right now.

The number of missions taken requirement also seems too low to impact the leveling. When I first saw the missions requirement I though oh boy...it's going to be like those annoying quests on a MUD. But they aren't. Missions are the other active element that brings enjoyment, discovery, and social connectedness. Of course people will do more than 2, they will do 3-4 just learning the basic game with the intro missions right as they start. If missions completed are going to stay as a level requirement, then maybe they also need to be reworked and increased? Condensing levels 1-5 into 3K DP would accomplish this by requiring 8 missions for level 5. By 1500 DP I had 23 missions completed as I worked to gain associations and found things that interested me. It seems that most of the other profiles I look at have similar numbers of missions completed.

Just some thoughts. I love the passive play style that lets this be a secondary, social game that doesn't interfere with a more active primary game I am playing. At the same time, I feel that the 30,000 DP (15,000 domains?!?) until the game sets any restrictions in the shoppe is just too passive and doesn't do full justice to the incredibly cool game system that has been designed here.

by infomancy 10 months ago
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I agree, I feel like, at least the first couple lvls should go a lot faster.

I noticed that you get DP for posting, maybe if there were more forums there could be more discussion and more DP collection. (Although maybe having a large forum community is contrary to the "passive rpg" idea? I don't know if that was a deliberate decision.)

by 3amfriday 10 months ago
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*testing out "get DP with posts" theory stated by 3amfriday, thought it was just because you were visiting a new URL in the forums*

by ross 10 months ago
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At this point, though, levels are almost meaningless. What do you get for being a higher level? Bragging rights? But... it's not like you can get better equipment, or kill harder mobs, or go on harder missions. Which makes sense, because it's passive.

I'm not trying to argue, however, that they shouldn't lower the level requirements or anything.

by joe 10 months ago
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I try to think of it as level 5 being more like the end-game, not just the step after the tutorial.

I really like that I'm level 1 after 4 days of playing, it'll make getting to level 2 far more rewarding. And when I see a level 5, like pixielo, I have innate respect for him (her?) as a player.

by yamen 10 months ago
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